I'm still wondering why Rush would allow himself to be sucked into something as stupid as this. It's obvious he knew that people were out to burn him at every corner. Why would someone as astute as Rush put himself into that very position? Over the past 23 years, I've worked with various people who have killed their careers (and paychecks) by doing something stupid. I've also worked with people who have had life-threatening illnesses, overcame those illnesses, only to turn to drugs and stupidity. All lost their good paying positions. Some of these people had 15-20 years on the job. All I could do is shake my head then, and if this is true about Rush, I'll sure as hell shake my head again. But there's still alot of unanswered questions though and I'll reserve judgement until then.
Sometimes unhappy people cling to the false hope that when they "have everything" they will be happy. When they finally "have everything" and are still unhappy they're shattered.
As to why Rush Limbaugh suffers from addiction (if indeed he does), you might also ask why Bill Bennett gambled excessively, or why Arnold Schwartznegger allegedly engaged in sexual harassment long after he was married and entered the ranks of respectability. People can become ensnared in terrible problems. The lure of "sex, drugs, and rock and roll" can as much cause a conservative, even a conservative Christian, to go astray, as it can liberals and nonbelievers.
The political problem arises with the GOP, and especially the conservative movement, identifying with "family values," opposing abortion, legalized drugs, permissive child rearing, homosexual unions, etc. Given the deterioration of American (and Western) public morality, particularly over the last 35-40 years, there was a clear need for a strong affirmation of traditional moral values in the public arena.
However, the downside to this strong stance is that it places its advocates, such as Limbaugh and Bennett, to have to be like Caesar's wife, that is, beyond reproach. When a Republican or a conservative slips, the fact that the mainstream print and broadcast media are in the iron grip of leftists will ensure maximum exposure of their opponent's shorcomings. This applies to the religious community as well. Scandals among evangelical Christian and Catholic clergy will receive abundant air time and a barrage of condemnation. Similar failures of mainline Protestant or black clergy will be given little media exposure and no condemnation.
The "purity" measurement was not one that conservative leaders of earlier times, like Barry Goldwater, Robert Taft, Sr., or Calvin Coolidge, had to endure. But up until the 1950s, liberals and even socialists adhered to traditional moral standards. The public statements of liberal heroes Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman affirming belief in the God of the Bible would cause a 2003 ACLU attorney to suffer apoplexy.
Let's hope that Rush Limbaugh will be exonerated. But we must also consider the possibility of a Rush-less future. Whatever the fate of Limbaugh, we must never let the "Fairness Doctrine" re-emerge.